Eurpean Retail Trade Stable In March

In Europe, retail trade in both the euro area and the EU27 remained stable during March 2010 on February 2010 according to Eurostat. The volume of retail trade in March 2010 decreased by 0.1% on March 2009 in the euro area but increased by 0.3% in the EU27. During February 2010 retail trade volume fell 0.2% in the euro area but grew by 0.3% in the EU27.

The food drinks and tobacco sector fell by 0.2% in March 2010 compared with February 2010 in the euro area but increased by 0.3% in the EU27. The non-food sector decreased by 0.1% in euro area but increased by 0.2% in EU27. Over the year, food, drink and tobacco increased by 0.9% in the euro area and 0.6% in the EU27. The non-food sector was unchanged in the euro area but grew by 1.4% in the EU27.